August 27, 2013

Jerry Jones on radio show: 'Doug Free was nothing short of amazing'

Now that he’s had a day to look at the film, Cowboys owner
Jerry Jones is impressed with the temporary arrangement of Doug Free at right
guard, Jermey Parnell at right tackle and Mackenzy Bernadeau at left guard.

The Cowboys used that look Saturday night against Cincinnati, in part
because Ron Leary and Nate Livings are still sidelined by knee surgery and the
team has not been able to add a guard off the street.

“First of all, Doug Free was nothing short of amazing,”
Jones said Tuesday morning on his radio show on KRLD 105.3 The Fan. “He’s never
played guard. You ask the question, are there things that guard might require
you to do that address some of the things that Doug has always tried to do in
his game? I think that may be the case.”

Jones said Free showed naturally quicker hands, which are
less of a requirement at tackle.

“That was a real, real plus,” Jones said. “I couldn’t
comment on it after the game because these are the kinds of things that you
really just need to analyze play after play and rewind and play and look at
them. But boy, it was impressive. I don’t want to get too far over our skis
here, but Doug looked good.”

Jones said Parnell played well and is showing some of the
power the Cowboys like in him.

“He’s got tremendous power,” Jones said. “Our strength
people think that his punch is the most powerful they’ve ever measured. And so,
boy, he can set ’em back on their heels when he pops them. And of course, he’s
got the outstanding feet of a basketball player because that’s what he was in
his early days in college.”

Jones said he was glad to see Bernadeau play well at left
guard because it gives him a third position, in addition to right guard and
center.

But this lineup might not be necessary, in Jones’ mind. He
said Leary, who had knee surgery the last week of training camp, should be
ready to go against the Giants.

“We expect him. He’s really making very positive progress,
and we expect Leary back for the Giant game,” Jones said. “And he was the one
that was having an outstanding camp.”